Ducks' Perry reacts to Nabokov's crybaby label

He said he hadn't seen last month's Yahoo! Sports interview with Evgeni Nabokov in which the San Jose Sharks goaltender called Perry a "crybaby."

"I don't even care," Perry said when relayed the details Thursday night after he had scored the lone shootout goal in a 6-5 Ducks triumph over the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place. "I'm not even listening to that. He can say what he wants. It's -- whatever."

Perry accused Nabokov of kicking him after play had stopped during a 1-0 Sharks victory March 15 at Honda Center. Nabokov denied it, and the NHL announced no supplementary discipline for either player. Perry had cross-checked the back of a prone Nabokov's legs before the alleged kicking incident.

Perry and Nabokov are likely to see each other again for the first time since Saturday night, when the Ducks complete a three-game road swing in San Jose. The teams also meet the next night in Anaheim.

While the Sharks long ago clinched their second consecutive NHL Pacific Division championship and are closing in on wrapping up the top spot in the Western Conference and the President's Trophy for the league's best overall record, the Ducks have greatly enhanced their post-season aspirations by winning eight of nine games since falling to San Jose.

The Ducks and Sharks, of course, have had many flavorful encounters, including a 2-0, home-ice victory by San Jose on Dec. 11. Late in the third period that night, a goal-mouth incident near Nabokov resulted in a cross-checking penalty on Perry, 10-minute misconducts for Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer and Sharks winger Milan Michalek, and a major penalty on San Jose defenseman Rob Blake -- for spearing Perry.

"It's kind of nice to get a little rivalry going with them," Perry said. "Some things have happened that normally don't happen to kind of spark it. The emotions are high. The games are fun.

"I love those kinds of games. It gets me into the game and keeps me on track. That's when I'm at my best, I guess."

Still, Perry said he didn't anticipate anything out of the ordinary Saturday night.

"No, I don't think so," he said. I'll just go in and play my game, and just be disciplined. You can't think about that right now. The playoffs are around the corner. We're still trying to push for a spot."

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